Tag Archives: Grammy Awards

Click here for a photo gallery of artists with their awards in the media room. Here, Carrie Underwood poses backstage with the award for best country solo performance for "Blown Away" at the 55th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

What you can't see on television is the massive media area at the Staples Center where all the artists travel through for interviews and photos. Click on the photo above to see a gallery from backstage at tonight's 55th Grammy Awards.

Click here for a photo gallery from the 55th Grammy Awards. Here, Taylor Swift performs the opening act on the 2013 primetime award show on Sunday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)

The Zac Brown Band poses backstage with the award for Best Country Album for "Uncaged"at the 55th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

Viewers saw Zac Brown get choked up on Sunday as he and Zac Brown Band took the stage to accept the Grammy for best country album. As the country star explained to reporters backstage, it's not unusual for his emotions to get the best of him.

"Our whole organization, band, everything that we do runs on love, and it's hard not to be thankful to everybody," he said. "It means more to me than I can speak or say…but it doesn't take me a whole lot to get almost in tears when I talk about my folks, you know."

"Getting to sing with Mavis and hang out with her this weekend, this whole weekend has been like out of a dream. It's been like I've been hanging out with my CD collection. Like, real, live, walking around, and they're all so cool and nice, and to be a colleague for just a minute with all of my heroes has been a ridiculous weekend, and then winning a Grammy. I don't know what else is gonna happen tonight, but it's gonna feel like it's amazing, even if it's not."

Click here for a photo gallery from the 55th Grammy Awards ceremonies. Here, Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach of musical group The Black Keys perform on stage at the 55th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)

LOS ANGELES — Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney — roots-rock duo The Black Keys — won three trophies, and Auerbach garnered a fourth on his own in a momentous night for Nashville music of all stripes at Sunday’s 55th Grammy Awards.

Auerbach won more Grammys than any other artist of the evening, and the Keys’ three trophies matched Kings of Leon’s haul of three years ago.

Auerbach and Carney moved to Nashville from Akron, Ohio, in 2010, quickly integrating themselves into the music community, and using the city as home base for recording current album “El Camino” and other projects. Auerbach’s acumen in the studio led to a best producer Grammy, and Dr. John’s Auerbach-produced “Locked Down” won a best blues album Grammy on Sunday.

“Thank you, everyone in Music City, for welcoming us,” Auerbach said upon receiving the best rock album prize for “El Camino.”

“Nashville, Tennessee is a wonderful place.”

Music City performances

The musical portion of that wonder was on apparent display at the show, which featured an unprecedented number of performances from Nashville-affiliated artists.

It was an often surreal scene on the Grammy Awards' mile-long red carpet on Sunday - the sort of place where bluegrass favorites Dailey & Vincent rubbed shoulders with dubstep star Skrillex, LMFAO mascot RedFoo showed off new dance moves and the night's biggest stars made selective stops along the way to the photo zone.

Even former Tennessee Titan Eddie George - no stranger to a big show - seemed a little overwhelmed.

"This is the longest red carpet I've ever seen in my entire life, he said. "It has to stretch at least the length of a football field."

George was there to support his wife, Tamara "Taj" George with her reunited soul group SWV - one of dozens of Nashville-based nominees who made their way through the media gauntlet on Sunday afternoon. Some those Nashville folks were on the lookout for stars themselves.

"My biggest goal for this whole thing - I have to meet Dave Grohl," said Will Hoge, whose kids are huge fans of the Foo Fighters frontman. "I pawned them off on grandparents for the weekend, so if I can just get my photo with Dave Grohl, it's a victory."

Nashville folks were looking good on the red carpet before the Grammys Sunday night, representing Twangtown with glamour, grace and a bit of humor.

Taylor Swift looked statuesque, as in classical Greco-Roman style, in a plunging number from J. Mendel. A very thin Faith Hill also was wearing Mendel, while husband Tim McGraw rocked Tom Ford basic black.

And for the record, Swift’s nails were done by Swift herself just minutes before hitting the media gauntlet.

Both Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood went to Roberto Cavalli for their wardrobes. Underwood turned up the wattage, though, with a necklace of 381 carats of super bling.

Lambert joked with E! host Ryan Seacrest about a Grammy memo sent out on Feb. 5 warning attendees about coverage of buttocks, breasts and certain regions of “puffy” skin. Speculating about whether she might be in violation of the new standards, Lambert jokingly touched her torso and said, “Puffy? I didn’t get the memo.”

Nashville's Dan Auerbach, left, and Patrick Carney accept the award for best rock album "El Camino" at the 55th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)

10:15 p.m. OK, here's the big one, Album of the Year. Who will it be Adele? Tell us, please. Is it The Black Keys or Jack White? (That's all we really want to know, isn't it?)

It's, it's, it's Mumford & Sons for "Babel."

What? How did this mini-British invasion derail Nashville's party. We were all set to just go ahead and move the whole Grammy shindig here. Well, we love M & boys, too. And they sure hang out here a lot. So that kind of makes it a win for Music City, doesn't it?

9:50 p.m. A beautiful tribute to Dave Brubeck by Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Kenny Garrett helped introduce a segment to honor all the music teachers who inspired all the great talent.

Capping a slideshow of all the music greats who passed, including Frances Preston, Donna Hilley and many more Nashvillians, stars gathered to honor the late drummer and singer Levon Helm. On stage to sing Helm's "The Weight" were Elton John, Zac Brown, T Bone Burnett, Mavis Staples (who sang this song with The Band), Mumford & Sons, and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, (channeling a bit of The Band's Rick Danko).

9:45 p.m. And how about Carrie and the Amazing Technicolor Prom Dress? Singing parts of "Blown Away" and "Two Black Cadillacs," Carrie Underwood, along with a dress which seemed to glow from within, sang with passion despite tweeting last night at 3 a.m. that she couldn't sleep.

And then came Prince , sporting a hoodie and a cane but oozing understated cool, announcing Gotye and Kimbra as winners of Record of the Year for "Somebody That I Used to Know, " halting the seemingly inexorable tide of The Black Keys.

9:30 p.m. Jack White, who tours with two bands—one all male, the other all female— brought them both to showcase his musical diversity and two very different songs. He said earlier that it was less a gender statement than a stylistic one White also showed that Nashville might be rubbing off a bit by wearing what looked like a Manuel-designed homage to rhinestones.

Next up was the award for Best New Artist, going to fun. and bypassing country newcomer Hunter Hayes.

9:05 p.m. Win or lose, Taylor Swift sure seems to be having fun. In a camera shot she's on her feet swaying and dancing to Bruno Mars and Sting during a Bob Marley tribute. Hey, even Keith and Nicole got into the action when Rihanna joined in for a rousing version of "Could You Be Loved."

8:50 p.m. Nice backing band if you can get it. The Black Keys got a little N'awlins support from Dr. John in a fabulously freaky feather headdress (someone's ready for Mardi Gras, that's for sure), and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

The night's first goosebump-raising performance came from Kelly Clarkson. Honoring the Lifetime Achievements of Patti Page, who passed away Jan. 1, Clarkson nailed an extraordinary version of the "Tennessee Waltz." She followed that up with a beautiful tribute to Carol King with "(You make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman."

Clarkson then announced the winner for Best Country Album, the Zac Brown Band, for "Uncaged." the band's third major-label release.

8:30 p.m. Pop goes Nashville. New resident Kelly Clarkson wins the Best Pop Vocal Album Grammy for "Stronger." Looking quite surprised and not ready to speak, she did manage to thank her manager Narvel Blackstock, who is also Reba McEntire's husband. That's a good thing since Narvel's son, Brandon Blackstock, happens to be her fiance. It's a family affair...

But wait! There's more! The fabulous Black Keys boys get another award, this time for Best Rock Performance for "Lonely Boy." That brings the band's total to three so far.

It was also a nice, brief thank, with nods to their hometown Akron, and their adopted home Nashville. Something tells me we'll see them a few more times.

8:10 p.m. Following Justin Timberlake and his big backing band the "Tennessee Kids," Frank Ocean took home the trophy for Best Contemporary Urban Album Nominated in six categories, Ocean is expected to vie for the biggest haul with The Black Keys.

7:50 p.m. Song of the Year, the Grammy's top award for writers, goes to fun. for their rousing, anthemic "We Are Young."

CLICK HERE for a red carpet photo gallery from the 55th annual Grammy Awards. Here, from left, John Paul White, Joy Williams, T Bone Burnett and Taylor Swift accept the award for song written for visual media for "Safe and Sound" (From The Hunger Games) at the 55th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)

The Tennessean is at Los Angeles’ Staples Center reporting live from the 55th annual Grammy Awards. With less than an hour before showtime, the pre-telecast ceremony has ended; below is a list of Nashville-connected Grammy winners.

LOS ANGELES - Emmylou Harris is now a Nashville icon, but 39 years ago she was a Californian making her debut album on Lania Lane in Coldwater Canyon. Released in 1975, that album, "Pieces Of The Sky," featured a then-unknown singer-songwriter named Rodney Crowell, who contributed the kickoff song, "Bluebird Wine."

Saturday night at West Hollywood's storied Troubadour club, three miles from Lania Lane, Harris and Crowell delighted a sold-out crowd with a show that featured myriad guest appearances.

The concert was a pre-release celebration for "Old Yellow Moon," the Harris/Crowell duo album due out Feb. 26, but it was also a celebration of Harris' still-evolving legacy as one of American music's most consequential recording artists.

"This is my university," said Souther, who cut his performing teeth at The Troubadour in the 1970s. Souther played "Sad Cafe," a song he wrote about the club, and one popularized by Troubadour mainstays the Eagles.

LOS ANGELES -- We've seen her welcome Lee Brice on her show - and join the country star on stage - but let it be known that "Today" host Hoda Kotb really, really loves country music, and she has the songs on her iPhone to prove it.

The Tennessean saw this first hand on Saturday, as Kotb stopped to talk on the red carpet at Clive Davis' Pre-Grammy Gala in Los Angeles.

"Get ready," she said as she clicked through her mp3s. Soon, Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" was blasting out of the tiny speakers, and Kotb drawled along: "Baby, you a song, You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise…"

"I love everything about it," she said. "I like that it tells you a great story. All the Rascal Flatts songs, you always wish that you could have written those. It's like the most beautiful poetry in the world."